When it comes to scoring issues within the Ottawa Senators organization, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

A four-goal first period explosion Friday against Albany came as a welcome relief for the previously offensively-challenged Binghamton Senators. Before Friday, they had scored only 20 goals in 12 games, the worst output in the American Hockey League. They had gone seven consecutive games without scoring more than two in a game and the outburst against Albany marked the first time they had scored more than three goals in a game this season.

Sound familiar?

Is it more than a coincidence that the B-Sens have adopted precisely the same structured system as the parent Senators?

“We’re all scratching our heads a little bit,” Binghamton coach Kurt Kleinendorst told Postmedia. “A lot of the issues are the same as the big boys right now. Up there, Craig (Anderson) has been phenomenal. Our goalies (Chris Driedger and Matt O’Connor) have been pretty good, but we’re not giving them a whole lot of help and we’re not playing with the same amount of confidence.”

Unlike the NHL squad, which has delivered a 10-6-1 start and an early playoff spot, the inability to score consistently has left Binghamton reeling. They entered Friday’s contest with a 3-8-1 record, tied with Utica for rock bottom in the AHL.

As the Senators seek help to fill their injury void for Saturday’s game against Florida — general manager Pierre Dorion, assistant general manager Randy Lee and goaltending coach Pierre Groulx were all in Binghamton on Friday night — expectations of a call-up creating a major offensive spark should be limited.

Casey Bailey (four goals, one assist) and Phil Varone (two goals, three assists) are at the top of the team’s scoring list, followed by Mike Blunden (three goals, one assist) and Francis Perron (two goals, two assists).

Nick Paul, who scored two goals and three assists in 24 games in Ottawa last season, has but one assist in 12 games with Binghamton.

And then there’s Curtis Lazar, who was assigned to Binghamton after missing training camp due to mono.

Lazar had scored only two goals and one assist in his first 12 AHL games, but he scored his third in the first period Friday. Kleinendorst says he has turned a corner in recent weeks.

“At first, he was half a step behind and that’s because he had been sick and missed so much time,” the coach said of Lazar, who played 133 games with the Senators in 2014-15 and 2015-16. “With somebody in his situation, it’s not about numbers. He’s playing in all situations, 18 minutes per night.”

Kleinendorst suggests many people underestimate how tough it is to play in the AHL. The play is far less polished and there are more breakdowns because the skill level isn’t as high as the NHL.

“Up there, there’s almost no such thing as a bad pass because guys suck them in and everybody is usually in the right position,” he said.

Dorion and company have some tough decisions to make, based on the immediate needs in Ottawa. At this point, Lazar may or may not be part of the answer.

Selfishly, Kleinendorst says he would prefer Lazar to be called up “later rather than sooner.” Once Lazar is called back to the big leagues, Kleinendorst suggests he won’t likely be going south again.

“I love that kid,” he said. “He embraces it.”

Chris WidemanWayne Cuddington /
Postmedia

WIDEMAN HOPES TO BOOST SENS POWER PLAY

Chris Wideman is aiming to rekindle his old American Hockey League ways.

The Senators defenceman desperately wants to give a boost to the Senators’ ailing power play.

After scoring once in Thursday’s 5-1 loss to Nashville, breaking a five-game goalless drought with the man advantage, the Senators rank 29th in the NHL, at a 9.8 per cent success rate.

With Mike Hoffman and Bobby Ryan questionable for Saturday’s game against Florida, Wideman is being given every opportunity to have an impact.

“With Hoffman out (in Thursday’s 5-1 loss to Nashville), we moved some personnel around and it’s a big opportunity for myself,” said Wideman. “I’m trying to work as hard as I possibly can to make the most of it.”

Back in 2014-15, Wideman was an outstanding power-play quarterback in Binghamton, scoring 19 goals and 42 assists, en route to being named AHL defenceman of the year.

Boucher is experimenting with several intriguing new power play looks, including tweaks that feature Erik Karlsson and Wideman playing in the middle, below the faceoff circles. The Senators employed that strategy at times against Nashville and again at practice Friday.

“It’s just a fourth man in kind of mentality,” Boucher said.

In the eyes of Mark Stone, the goal is to be unpredictable, forcing the opposition to think about several possibilities.

“With video now, everybody watches what you do,” Stone said. “You’ve got to be constantly throwing curveballs. It’s like in baseball. You can’t be throwing fastballs all the time.”

Stone says there are signs of growth, but still plenty of room for improvement in man advantage situations.

“Sometimes, it looked okay,” he said. “Sometimes, it looked atrocious.”

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